Vellozia

views updated

Vellozia (family Velloziaceae) A genus of monocotyledonous (see MONOCOTYLEDON) plants that have woody, branching stems, and crowded, narrow, xeromorphic leaves with persistent bases. The flowers are regular and trimerous, and the ovary is inferior. The fruit is a woody capsule. There are 124 species, occurring mostly in seasonal tropical America, but also in Africa and Madagascar.